Golf club attachment and marker



Nov. 7, 1939. c. .1. ENGSTROM GOLF CLUB ATTACHMENT AND MARKER Filed March 15, 1939 CARL J Ewesmwv Patented Nov. 7, 1939 UNITE- STATS ATENT cribs 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to golf clubs and more particularly to a golf club attachment for carrying a marker which is removable from the attachment for the purpose of being used to mark the identical position of a golf ball removed from a putting green in the case of a stymie.

It is an object of this invention to provide a golf club attachment to be secured on the upper end of the golf club handle for the purpose of carry-- ing a golf ball marker or coin and including retaining means for normally holding the marker in position but allowing the marker to be quickly and conveniently removed to be substituted on putting green for a golf ball, to permit a stymied golf ball to be played without any substantial interference by the marker.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a golf club with a handle attachment wherein a spring member or a magnet may be used for normally holding a metal coin marker in position, but readily accessible and removable to be used as a substitute and positive location marker for a lifted golf ball in the case of a stymie on a putting green.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a golf club attachment or accessory including a casing containing a permanent magnet for releasably retaining a metal coin or marker in position until it is desired to remove the marker from the attachment to identify the positive position of a lifted golf ball in case the lifted ball when on the putting green is in the way of another ball to be played by a player having precedence of play.

It is an important object of this invention to provide an improved golf club attachment including a cap or housing containing a retaining means for a removabie metal golf ball marker exposed through the open top of the attachment and removable through a convenient slot when needed.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure l is an elevational view of a golf club including a golf ball marker attachment secured on the upper end thereof, and embodying the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the golf ball marker removed from the attachment.

Figure 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the golf club attachment with the golf ball marker in position.

Figure 4 is a vertical detail section taken on line IVIV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical detail section taken on line VV of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a top plan View of a modified form of golf club marker attachment with the marker engaged therein.

Figure '7 is a top plan view of the permanent magnet removed from the attachment.

Figure 8 is a. vertical detail section partly in elevation taken on line VIIIVIII of Figure 6 and shown attached to the upper end of a golf club 0 illustrated in elevation.

Figure 9 is an elevational view of the upper end of the golf club and the modified form of golf ball marker attachment looking toward the open slot.

As shown in the drawing:

The present invention relates to a golf club attachment for conveniently carrying a coin or a marker adapted to be removed when needed and used as a temporary marker for designating a definite position of a golf ball on a putting green, when it becomes necessary to remove the ball temporarily when a stymie occurs.

The improved golf club attachment is illustrated in Figure 1 and is secured on the upper end of the handle I formed on the upper end of a golf club shank 2 having a putting head 3 secured on the lower end thereof.

Partly engaged over the upper end of the golf club handle I is a marker carrying attachment comprising a cap-shaped housing Q constructed of metal or other suitable material and having an axial passage therethrough to engage over the upper end of the handle i. The lower end of the housing passage tapers outwardly or'is enlarged 5 as indicated by the reference numeral 5 with the widest part of the passage at the lower end of the housing as clearly illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. The upper end of the housing 6 at the upper end of the axial passage therein terminates 4:0 in a beveled or countersunk seat 6, one side of which is cut away to form an outlet opening l to permit a persons thumb to be drawn radially outwardly from the attachment when a marker is. to be extracted as hereinafter more definitely described.

Formed in the upper portion of the attachment housing 4 around the central passage therethrough is a lower circular groove 8 in which a diametrically positioned arched or bowed strap spring 9 is engaged. The arched or middle portion of the retaining spring 9 projects upwardly within the plane of an upper coin or marker slot it! which opens outwardly through one side of the housing 4 directly beneath the thumb outlet l opening I. Removably engaged in the coin or marker slot I0 is a corrugated or embossed steel coin or marker II. The coin or marker l i when slidably engaged in the housing 4 is releasably retained in position by means of the strap spring 9 which is slightly compressed when the coin is inserted in place so that the coin is held up against the upper margin of the coin slot Hi to prevent the coin or marker from accidentally moving out of the marker attachment.

The coin or marker H which is frictionally held in position in the attachment by means of the retaining spring 9 may be easily removed from the housing 4 when required by simply engaging a thumb upon the top exposed surface of the thumb seat 6 and the marker H through the open top of the housing 4 and then drawing the marker radially out of the slot l0 and placing the marker in a predetermined position on a putting green to mark the definite position of a removed golf ball when a stymie occurs.

Figures 6 to 9 inclusive illustrate a modified form of golf club attachment. In this modified form of the device the reference numeral l2 indicates a golf club handle, the upper end of which terminates in a head 13. Mounted upon the head I3 is the lower concave surface of an attachment casing or housing I 4 constructed of metal or other suitable material and being formed with a pocket or recess IS in which a permanent magnet I6 is seated. The permanent magnet I6 is of theordinary slotted type but being round in shape to seat within the recess 55 of the housing I4. Projecting downwardly through the permanent magnet l6 and through an opening in the bottom of the housing I4 is a retaining screw I! which threads into the golf club handle head I3 as clearly illustrated in Figures 8 and 9. The attachment housing M is provided with a coin or marker slot or groove l8 which opens at one side through the side of the housing M to permit removal and insertion of the marker. The top of the housing I 4 is provided with a beveled seat l9 around "a middle opening which exposes the top surface of the marker 20, the top and bottom surfaces of which are corrugated or embossed to facilitate gripping of the same by a person, when it is desired to remove the marker from the attachment. The coin or marker 20 is constructed of steel and when inserted in the marker slot I8 is retained in position by means of the magnetic attraction of the permanent magnet i B. The top of the housing M is also provided with an outlet opening at one side of the seat l9 to permit a persons thumb to be engaged upon the top of the marker and allowing the thumb to pass through the outlet opening as the marker is withdrawn from the attachment against the retaining action of the permanent magnet.

'I'he improved marker carrying attachment of this invention is extremely simple and may be readily engaged on the upper end of a golf club so that whenever a golf ball marker is needed it may be conveniently withdrawn from the attachment and used to designate a particular location of a removed golf ball from a putting green when a stymied condition is encountered in a golf game.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a golf club handle, of a housing shaped to seat on the end of the handle, said housing having a marker groove formed therein and opening through one side of the housing, and also having a thumb opening and slot therein communicating with the marker groove, a stymie marker removably engaged in the housing groove and accessible through said thumb opening and slot, means in the housing for holding the stymie marker in position against accidental discharge, said housing having the top thereof formed with a beveled seat forming a thumb rest facilitating convenient engagement of the stymie marker through the thumb opening and slot for the removal of the marker from the housmg. I

2. A golf club attachment comprising a housing fitted on the handle end of the golf club, said housing having a marker slot therein and a beveled thumb seat leading to said slot, said thumb seat having a thumb outlet opening therein communicating with the marker slot, a marker coin removably engaged in said slot, means in said housing for retaining the marker in place until manually removed by placing a thumb on the thumb seat and on the marker and then drawing the thumb over the thumb seat and through the thumb opening and sliding the marker out of the side of the housing by overcoming the resistance of said retaining means.

3. A golf club marker attachment comprising a housing having a marker slot therein opening through one side of said housing, a golf ball marker in said slot, a thumb seat formed in the.

upper end of the housing and leading to said slot to afford access to the marker for the manual removal of the marker from the housing, and a strap spring engaged in said housing in an arched position to project into the plane of said groove to be contacted by the marker and for holding the marker in position against accidental removal from said housing.

4. A golf club stymie marker attachment comprising a housing engaged on the handle end of the golf club, said housing having a marker groove therein and a thumb seat and slot above said groove and communicating therewith a stymie marker in said groove contactable through the thumb seat and slot for removal of the marker from the groove, and magnetic means in said housing for holding the marker in position against accidental discharge from said housing.

CARL J. ENGSTROM. 

